Jazz-Nets Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTOPosted Dec 17 2012 10:15PM

The Utah Jazz are looking to make sure it stays that way by continuing their success in the series.

The Nets will try to begin shaking out of their recent funk by beating the visiting Jazz for just the second time in over four years Tuesday night.

Brooklyn entered this month 11-4 and tied with New York atop the Atlantic Division, but the Nets have dropped six of eight while allowing an average of 100.1 points - an increase of nearly 10 per game.

Playing at their new arena hasn't helped, either. Brooklyn is 1-4 at home this month after winning seven of its first eight at Barclays Center.

The Nets (13-10) did beat Detroit 107-105 in double overtime at home Friday, but they lost 83-82 at Chicago the next night. Brooklyn shot 38.7 percent while committing 18 turnovers.

"Had we done a better job of taking care of the ball, especially down the stretch, we could have come out on the winning end," coach Avery Johnson said.

That's rarely been the case against the Jazz (13-12), as Brooklyn has lost six of the past seven meetings while surrendering an average of 104.6 points on 49.4 percent shooting.

The Nets fell 105-84 to Utah in New Jersey in the last meeting March 26. Deron Williams had 17 points and 11 assists in that matchup with his former team, and he enters this contest averaging 20.7 points and 9.6 assists over the past seven games after scoring 11.4 and shooting 32.1 percent over the previous seven.

Brook Lopez missed both meetings with the Jazz last season due to foot and ankle injuries, and he appears to have gotten over his latest ailment. Lopez had 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks against the Bulls in his second game back after missing seven with a sprained right foot.

Utah, 4-10 on the road and opening a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams, is trying to avoid an overall three-game skid following Saturday's 99-86 loss to Memphis. The Jazz wasted a 10-point halftime lead by shooting 3 for 20 in the third quarter as they were outscored 28-10 en route to falling to 9-2 at home.

"This has got to be the motivator," said center Al Jefferson, who had 21 points and eight rebounds. "I think we got too comfortable at home. This proves we can lose at home. But it shows you can win on the road."

Jefferson hasn't been very productive on the road, averaging 15.1 points compared to 20.7 at home.

He leads the Jazz with 10.3 rebounds per game and is averaging 21.7 points and 10.0 boards over his last 10 meetings with the Nets.

Paul Millsap averaged 21.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two meetings with the Nets last season.

Utah has averaged 104.5 points in winning four of six meetings against teams from the East.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Jazz rally, then hold on to beat Nets 92-90

By BRIAN MAHONEYPosted Dec 18 2012 11:59PM

NEW YORK (AP) The Utah Jazz fought all night for a chance to win the game, then nearly threw it away.

Utah turned it over on two inbounds passes in the final 31 seconds, having to sweat out a pair of misses on the Brooklyn Nets' final possession to escape with a 92-90 victory on Tuesday night.

"Just two mistakes. That's all I can say, just two bad mistakes we made," center Al Jefferson said. "The game, we still pulled it out, that's all that matters."

Mo Williams scored 19 points, and Jefferson had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who improved to just 5-10 on the road. Derrick Favors added 13 points against his former franchise.

Williams said it was easy to focus on the final half-minute - calling it a learning experience - but noted that the Jazz held the Nets to 33 points in the second half. Brooklyn made only 10 of 32 shots (31 percent) after halftime after shooting 51 percent in the first half.

"Well, we started to guard," Williams said. "You can make excuses, but I don't think our legs were there to start the game. I thought that once we got going in the second half and we got a nice talking to by (coach Tyrone Corbin), I thought that motivated us and we came out the second half and we dug down."

Joe Johnson scored 21 points for the Nets, who led for most of the game and by as many as 13 points before dropping their second straight overall and their fifth in the last six home games.

"When you're at home, this is where you're supposed to be the strongest and when you have a lead, I was just hoping man we can blow a team out so we can kind of us, as starters, get a rest for tomorrow," Johnson said. "It just seems when we're up 15, 17, it seems like the game is never over because we shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers."

Brook Lopez finished with 16 points and Deron Williams had 14 for the Nets, who will try to bounce back from this disappointment when they make the short trip to visit the Knicks on Wednesday.

Utah trailed for nearly the entire night before finally going ahead when Mo Williams pulled up for a 3-pointer in transition, making it 82-80 with 5:43 remaining. Favors followed with a basket, and Utah kept either a two- or four-point lead the remainder of the way.

The Jazz didn't make it easy on themselves at the end.

Leading by four, they threw the ball in from the sideline, but Gordan Hayward's pass went untouched out of bounds on the other sideline, giving possession back to the Nets. Johnson followed with two free throws with 22 seconds left, and the Jazz then passed it in from the side again after a Nets foul.

Hayward was replaced as the inbounder by DeMarre Carroll, but Carroll's pass was tipped and taken away from Jefferson, setting off the frantic final possession. Both Jefferson and Mo Williams thought Carroll was trying to get a timeout.

The Nets pushed the ball up and got a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from Gerald Wallace that missed. Reggie Evans' follow shot was no good and time expired.

"But that's really not how the game came down to," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "It's really all about the third quarter. In the third quarter we turned the ball over probably six or seven times. We were awful to start the third quarter and that's something that we worked on yesterday - and taking care of the basketball. You can't score unless you get shots at the basket and we didn't get shots at the basket the third quarter. We had an awful third quarter and that really doomed us."

Deron Williams created some controversy Monday when he expressed his preference for the offensive system he played in under Jerry Sloan in Utah, saying he hadn't been as comfortable in Avery Johnson's system. Johnson wasn't bothered by the comments, saying he was aware of Williams' concerns and they frequently discussed ways to address them.

Deron Williams made the first basket of the game on a well-designed play, coming off a screen for a wide-open jumper. Wallace had eight points in the first quarter and Williams added seven, leading the Nets to a 24-20 lead.

The Nets ran off 12 straight points midway through the second quarter, extending a one-point lead to 45-32 on a jumper by Lopez with 5:08 remaining. The Nets led 57-44 at the half when Wallace made a 3-poiner with 1.4 seconds left.

Trailing by nine, the Jazz finally got themselves into the game in the third quarter with a 10-2 run, slicing the Nets' lead to 69-68 on a basket by Favors. Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left in the period, sending the Nets to the fourth with a 74-70 edge.

Marvin Williams had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, and Paul Millsap scored 12 points. Wallace finished with 11 points for the Nets.

NOTES: Deron Williams was the third pick of the 2005 draft by Utah and averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 assists there before his surprising trade to the Nets in February, 2011. Favors was part of that deal. ... The Jazz snapped a two-game losing streak.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Jazz 92, Nets 90

THE FACTS: Gerald Wallace's 3-pointer off of a Joe Johnson steal clanged off the rim, Reggie Evans missed a follow-up attempt, and the Utah Jazz escaped with a 92-90 win over the Nets at Barclays Center after erasing a 13-point first-half deficit. Al Jefferson and Marvin Williams both registered double-doubles for the Jazz, who were led by Mo Williams' 19 points.

Johnson paced the Nets with 21 points and was the team's most consistently effective offensive weapon, but he passed up an opportunity to tie the game early in the game's frantic final possession.

QUOTABLE: "You make some of those, you miss some of those."
-- Wallace, on his 3-point attempt to win the game

THE STAT: The Jazz grabbed eight third-quarter offensive rebounds after corralling only six in the first half and the Nets committed seven of their 14 turnovers in the third quarter.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz scored on their first three third-quarter possessions, trimming a 13-point deficit to seven, immediately putting pressure back on the Nets.

QUOTABLE II: "It's really all about the third quarter. ... We were awful to start the third quarter."

-- Nets coach Avery Johnson

INSIDE THE ARENA: Atlantic Avenue was visible out one end of the arena, an irregular occurrence as a curtain is usually draped over the in-looking windows.

ROOKIE WATCH: No rookie played.

NOTABLE: Brook Lopez (16 points) threw up a no-look baseline circus shot late in the first quarter that somehow went in. Lopez was fouled but the shot was waved off. ... Wallace punctuated a standout first half by drilling a 3-pointer from the wing at the second quarter buzzer. But he did not take a shot in the second half until misfiring on the potential game-winner. ... Derrick Favors, who was dealt to the Jazz in the trade that netted the Nets Deron Williams, scored 13 points off the bench and made a couple of highlight-worthy impact plays down the stretch. Williams scored 14 points and dished out five assists, but continued to struggle with his jumper. "It's over and done with now," Favors said of the trade. "I do not care. I felt more about it last year, but it is over with. You grow up and move on from it." ... The Jazz outscored the Nets by 27 (39-12) in second-chance points and fast-break points combined.